Online Safety

The Duxbury Public School district believes that online safety, sometimes referred to as internet safety or cyber safety, is critically important to the success of our digital learning programs. We take a three-pronged approach to keep our students safe online.

• Students in kindergarten through twelfth grade participate in lessons focused on digital citizenship. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has comprehensive technology standards for teachers and students that define digital citizenship as "students recognize the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of living, learning, and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that are safe, legal, and ethical." Focus areas include digital identity and reputation, online behavior/safety, intellectual property rights, and managing personal data. The district utilizes Common Sense Media's digital citizenship lessons.

• In 2021, Duxbury Public Schools was awarded a grant from the state of Massachusetts for cybersecurity training. Staff participated in an initial cybersecurity assessment, assignments, a final cyber assessment, and several phishing campaigns to help staff recognize phishing attempts.

• The district has a robust Securly firewall in place. It is a cloud-based web filter designed specifically for schools that helps us keep our students safe online both in school and at home on district devices. Securly's Classroom module provides classroom management tools to guide lessons, monitor student progress, and keep the focus on learning. We also provide access to Securly's parent portal for parents who would like to monitor their child's after-school online activity while using our district-owned computing devices.

Technology can be a valuable tool for learning and must be used responsibly and safely.

Here are some ways to talk about online safety with your children:

• Talk with your child about the responsible use of technology and social media
• Be aware of the social media platforms they are using.
• Discuss and review with your child who they follow, and who is following their social media pages.
• Decide together if those are acceptable follows and followers.
• Review privacy settings with your child.
• Remove or block anyone your child does not know in real life.

DPS Technology Policies Related to Digital Learning and Online Safety:

• DPS Empowered Digital Use Policy
• DPS Social Media Policy

Additional Resources:

• Social Media Presentation from DHS Open House
• 2020 Cyber Safety Pamphlet
• Common Sense Media
• Internet Matters
• NCPC Internet. Safety
• Get Net Wise
• Connect Safely